Mechanical movement



H. mfom).

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT. A APPLICATION FILED MAR. I3, 191s.

l y l yg 9 l 5 Patented Oat. 7, 1919.

nuentofc .r D STATES PATENT 'orrrong AL C. FORD, OF NEW YOBILN. Y., ASSIG'NOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FORD DTSTBUMENT COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

racontes oec. e, 1919.

mechanism comprising two rotary elements,

and a device interposed between the two elements for transmitting the' rotation of one element to the other, and in rolling" Contact therewith, which device is nnder eli condin tions movable as a unitary structure reietively to said elements, While remaining in rolling contoct therewith during such morement, whereby pressure he applied to maintain the parts in driving reli t and yet the reist-'ive position of the s and the elements he shifted/et YWith this and other objects -n invention consists of tr-o ro and a plurality of super-imnwsd hails interposed between the two elei its in rolling Contact with one another and with the elements, respectiveiy, which halls meintained in their proper relative position hy a suitable supporting structure sri ich is movefoie with the halls. By ntilizing a plurality or" bells, these hails are of being moved in any direction with respect to the surfaces or' the elements and will remain rolling Contact therewith While transmitting the rotation ot one ele-nient to the other. @ne adaptation of the invention is to veri able speed mechanisms5 in which the two elements consist of the nsualV rotary driving and driven elements Tritiri which the interposed balls are in rolling contact, whereby by shifting the position of the halls the relative speeds o the driving and, driven elements may be varied.

In the accompanying drawings, the inven-l tion is illustrated in connection with a roller and disk variable speed mechanism, but it is to he understood that other driving and driven elements, suchas are used in various variable speed mechanisms may be. substituted for the roller and disk. i

Figure 1 is a 'front eevation o a variable I oall and disk speed mechanism constructed in vaccordance with the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is n, sectional view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention shown herein.. the two main rotatable elements comprise a disk l and a roller 2, either one of which may 'oe the driving elenient, as for example, disk il. These elements are mounted in a yoke-shaped frame 3 between the arms of which at the upper ends is rotatably mounted the roller 2. The disk` l is supported on a spindle 5 which 'passes through a sleeve 6 extending from the connec'ting piece of the yoke and is mounted for rotation in thisfsleeve upon ball bearings 7 7. Surroundino the spindle or shaft 5 and interposed between the upper yset of ball bearings 7 and a slidable collar 8, is a spring 9. The collar 8 carries radially eX- tending pins 10, 10, which pass through suitable slots in the boss and secured at their outer ends to the arms of a yoke-shaped lever erin l2, which is pivoted to the lboss as at 13. assing through the free end of the lever arm is a regulating; Sorenv1 13, the point of which rests against the yoke-shaped frame and is held in engagement therewith by the expensive force. of the spring 9, which' will y against a. shoulder on the spindle and hence.

the disk is urged toward the roller 2.

:interposed between the disk l and the roller 2, are a plurality or balls, two such balls being shown in the construction illnstrated and designated le end l5. These balls are arranged one above thev other and in rolling Contact with each other and with the disk and roller.y respectively, the points of rollingcontact being in vertical alinement. rhe balls are maintained in position by a cage comprising a hollow rectangular frame 16 having four posts 17 projecting from each face thereof., The posts provide supports 'for guide rollers 1S. Two of, these guide rollers :1re rotatably mounted between each two posts and each roller is mounted in roll-A Secured to the yoke-shaped frame on oppositesides thereof, are grooved slideways 2() in which grooves are slidably slides Q1, which as shown may be formed by extending the frame 16 on two sides thereof whereby the cage may be moved to cause the balls to travel radially along the' disk when a change of the speed of the driven member is desired. This movement may be imparted to the cage in any, desired manner and, for illustrative purposes, it is shown as being accomplished by means of a rod 22 carried by the trame i6.

The balls are maintained in trictional engagement with each other and with the disk and roller, respectively, by means of the spring 9, and' associated parts, as described, and the pressure upon the balls may be varied by regulating the tension of this spring so that any slippage between the balls or between one of the balls and the driving or driven element, is eliminated. l

The surface of the disk with which the ball contacts is preferably crowned so that as the balls are moved inwardly toward the center of the disk the pressure holding them in engagement with vthe driving and driven elements is automatically increased.

v The operation of the mechanism is obvious from the description, but will be briefly stated. liet us assume that the disk is the driving element and is being constantly rotated by a part (not shown) which is connected to the shaft or spindle 5. llt the `balls are in the position shown in Fig. l,

that is, so that their points of rolling contac't with each other and with the elements are in vertical alinement with the center of the disk, the balls will not be rotated by the rotation of the disk and the roller or driven element 2 will remain stationary. Tf, however, by moving the cage the balls are moved off their center position, the balls will immediately start to rotate, due to the fact that one of them is in rolling contact' with the disk, which rotation will be transmitted through the other ball to the roller', and the farther the balls are moved from the center of the disk, the greater the speed of rotation of the driven element. This radial movement of the balls may be effected while the driving element is being constantly rotated without any slippage between one of the balls and the disk, between the balls themselves, or between the other ball and roller` since, upon a. radial movement of the balls, each ball will be rotated upon an axis which is oblique to their normal axis of rotation. This result is obtained by the above construction without any bot ly movement of either the driving-0r dri en element which is impossible where only ene ball is used. l This feature is of importance as it enables the mechanism to be rigidly constructed and a high pressure applied to mounted the parts whichmechanism is adapted to be used to transmit relatively heavy loads.

It will be noted from the construction described that the pressure applied to the balls automatically increases as the speed of the driven member decreases, which will permit the mechanism to transmit relative heavy loads without any slippage of the balls. 1t

vshould also be noted that by virtue of the conical shaped working face of the disk l, a movement of the balls over this face will impart a slight bodily movement to thedisk 1 in the direction of the axis of the supporting shaft 5 of the disk, which is mounted for such a movement by means of the spring 9 and associated parts. This movement of the disk may be utilized in other mechanical movements, it desired.

l/Vhile l have disclosed my invention in connection with one illustrated embodiment thereof, it is obvious that the construction may be changed materially and yet come within the scope of the invention, as is particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

l claim:

1. A variable speed mechanism comprising a driving element and a driven element, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with one another and with the driving and driven elements respectively, and means for holding said balls in their proper relative positions.

2. A variable speed mechanism comprising a ,driving element and a driven element, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with one another and the driving and driven elements respectively, means surrounding said balls maintainingr them in their proper relative positions and for moving them relatively to the driving and drivenmembers.

3. A variable speed mechanism comprising a driving and a driven element, two balls in rolling contact with each other, one oi said balls being in rolling contact vwith the driving and the other lwith the driven element, and movable means for holding in alinement the points of rolling Contact ot said balls, with each other and with the driving and driven elements.

fr variable speed mechanism comprising a driving and driven element, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with one another and with the driving and driven elements respectively, means for holding said bal-ls in their proper relative positions with respect to each other, and means for applying pressure to said parts at 4their points of rolling contact.

5. variable speed mechanism comprising driving element and a driven element. a plurality et balls interposed between said elements in rolling. contact with one another and th driving and driven elements remeans surrounding said balls I.

maintaining them in their proper relative positions and for moving them relatively to the driving and driven members, and means for applying pressure to said parts at their points of rolling Contact.

6. A variable speed mechanism comprising a driving and a driven element, two balls in rolling contact with each other, one of said balls being in rolling contact with the driving and the other with the driven element, movable means for holding said balls with their points of rolling contact withv each other and the driving and driven elements in alinement, and means for applying pressure to said parts at their points oi rolling contact.

7 A. variable speed mechanism comprising a driving element and a driven element, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with one another and with the driving and driven elements respectively, movable means for holding said balls in .their proper relative positions, and

' means for applying a pressure to said parts at their points of rolling contact which varies with the position of said balls.

8. A variable speed mechanism comprising a driving and a. driven element, two balls in rollin contact with each other, one of said balls ein in rollin contact with the driving and t e otherwith the driven element, movable means for ,holding said balls with theirpoints of rolling Contact with i each other and the driving and driven eleresponding points of contact on said driving ments in alinement, and means for applying pressure to said parts at their points of rolling contact and for varying said pressure upon a movement of said balls.

9. A variable speed mechanism comprising va ,driving element and a driven element, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements rolling'contact with one another .and with the driving and driven 'elements respectively, and movable means for holding said balls in their proper relative positions, and means for applying pressure to said parts at their points of rolling contact, cor,-

anddriven elements being spaced unequal distances apart whereby by moving said balls the pressure is automatically varied.

10. A variable speed mechanism comprisa driving and'a driven member one of which. is a disk, a member movable radially across the face of the disk and serving to transmit the motion of the driving toV the driven elements, and means for applying pressureto said parts at their points of rolling contact, said dislr having a curvedface whereby upon a movement of said member the pressure upon the 'same is varied.

11. A. variable speed mechanism comprising a driving and a driven element, a device in continuous driving frictional engagement with said elements, said device being freely movable as a unitary structure vto change its position with respect to said elements and remaining in rolling contact with said ele-- ments irrespective of whether saidelemen'ts are in motion or at rest or whether said device is moved bodily with -respect to said elements. l

12. mechanical movement comprising two elements, and a plurali of superimposed reely rotatable balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with ments.

14. A mechanical movement comprising two elements one atleast of which is movable, a plurality of superimposed freely rotatable balls interposed between said ele'. ments in Contact with one another and/ with the working surfaces of said elements, respectively. Y

15. A mechanical movement comprising two elements one at least of which is movable, a plurality of Vballs interposed between said elements in contact with one another and with the working surfaces of said elements, respectively, and means for applying a pressure between said elements andV balls. y

A 16. A mechanical movement comprising two elements, a plurality of freely rotatable balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with one another and wlth the working surfaces of said elements, re-

spectively, and means surrounding said balls n said elements in rolling contact with one another and with said elements, respectively, means surrounding said balls fonholding them in their proper relative position with respect to one another and with respect to said elements, said means-'and balls being lrelatively movable with respect to said elements as a unitary structure.

18. A mechanical movement comprising two elements having a relative movement toward and away from each other, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements v in rolling contact with each 'other and with A the working surfaces of said elements, the

correspondin points of contact on said:

working sur aces with lwhich said balls engage being snaced unequal distances apart, vwhereby said elements will have s bodily reint've movement toward and from each other nnen e change of the points o Contact of said balls with the Working surfaces oi sei-d elements. Y

19. i mechanical movement comprising tvvo elements having a relative movement tovva-rd end away from each other, a plurality of balls interposed between said elements in rolling contact with one another and *with the working surfaces of said elements, the corresponding points i2 Contact Aon said Working surfaces with which said balls engage being spaced unequal distances apart,

. fvherebY seid elements will Vhave a bodilv J relative movement toire-rd and away from each other upon e change ofthe points of Contact of said balls with the Working snraces of said elements, and means or exerting a pressure upon said balls through said elements.

20. In e friction gearing, the combination with driving and driven members Whose axes lie in a common plane, of friet-ien connections therebetween including a pair of. spherical connecting members having parallel axes disposed in the said common plane of the axes of seid driving and driven members and in Contact with one another7 a, series of radially disposed casters around each of the seid connecting members and in Contact therewith, whereby to support the samea end :i frame which seid casters are supported, move-bie within the snr-ice between the driving and driven members, for the purpose described.

2l. En a friction gearing, the combination with driving and driven members Whose axes lie in a common plane, of friction connections therebetween including spherical connecting members in Contact with one another, and 'with the driving and driven members, said connecting members having parallel axes disposed in the said common plane o seid driving and driven members, and an adjustable support in which the said connecting; members are mounted and rotatable in all directions.

In a friction gearing, the combination with driving and driven members Whose axes lie in a Common plane, of friction connections therebetween including spherical connecting members in Contact with one another, and with the driving and driven mem- A bers, seid connecting members having parallel axes disposed 1n the seid common plane o seid driving and driven members, and a. support in which the said connecting members are mounted and movable' in all directions said support being movable in the Space between the driving and driven members.

En Witness whereof I subscribe my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HANNIBAL C. FORD.

Witnesses:

VALno M. CHAHN, 

